The return of Reverse Sweep – with a new year’s resolution to blog on a more regular basis – has stirred Jack S Pratt, the blog’s northern correspondent, out of his home brew inspired hibernation and he writes the following, which I’m sure many people agree with (all the spelling mistakes and literals are his): “Surely the time has come to put Ian Bell out of his misery and call a trmporary end to his England career. Watching him bat in recent innings has been torture and I suspect that is exactly how he feels every time he goes out to the crease. Ian Bell is one of the most gifted batters in world cricket but feeling that every innings could be your last is obviously destroying his cofidence and his capacity to enjoy his cricket.

Instead of sending him to the Windies the selectors should have told Bell to take some time off, spend the season playing for Warwickshire and resume his England career in 2010.

Hopefully this would allow Bell to get stacks of runs, rebuild his confidence and give him the chance to enjoy the game again.

I suspect that given this option by the England management Ian Bell would accept with a sense of total relief and in the long run it would be hugely beneficial to himself and to English cricket.”

One response to “Bell end for England (headline suggested by Jack S Pratt)”

Surely, it is time to put Ian Bell out of our misery, you mean. A man who in 40-odd Tests has never scored a century without another England batsman passing three figures first certainly should be nowhere near the the vital No 3 batting spot. However we all know he will be picked against the West Indies, score a few cheap runs against a weak bowling attack and secure his place for the Ashes. Oh well, if KP gets his way, at least we might be shot of Moores and get a coach who is capable of getting the best out of players or at least stop them regressing